6.5 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Having parked at our holiday cottage on the Isle of Portland we catch the bus back to the mainland and re-trace our steps to Sandsfoot Castle cafe. We taste their pasties again, admire the view from the castle then cross the road and join the Rodwell Trail. Seventy years ago steam trains chuffed along this route from Weymouth to Portland. Today it is a buzz with dog walkers, cyclists, runners and us enjoying the stroll and the views across the harbour. A small estate of houses at the end of the trail lies on the site of the former [...]

6.5 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Breakfast at the Smugglers Inn sets us up for today’s stroll towards Weymouth. We find the coast path a little way out of the village and head up the steps to the cliff top where the path takes us inland around the large undercliff area.. All along this walk there is evidence of the ever-changing coastline with massive cracks in the land suggesting imminent cliff falls, we stay well clear of the edge! We spot a white horse on the cliff –which are later informed by our taxi driver is riden by King George... The path skirts around a [...]

5.5 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Arrive at the Smugglers Inn, Osmington Mills with enough time for a quick drink before our taxi whisks us to Durdle Door. It’s a surprisingly sunny day for late September which has brought out lots of happy smiling families to enjoy this fabulous arch in the rock – some even swimming right through it. Our walk is almost immediately up the extremely steep Swyre Head, thankfully nowhere near as steep as the ones on the Lulworth Ranges but I’m nevertheless pleased I remembered my walking pole. We enjoy the view from the top with a few other adventurous walkers [...]

1 Mile Miles walked since starting. . . Wake up to sunshine in the delightful Lulworth Cove Inn . . .

9 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Feeling refreshed from our night in Church Knowle (I highly recommend the local pub and the Shepherds Hut on the farm) we call our local taxi lady who takes us to the cafe above Kimmeridge Bay – owned by her sister and waitressed by her daughter. Breakfast is very good, we are joined in the cafe by what we believe are local fisherman and bomb disposal experts! I guess we are about to walk across the Lulworth Ranges. The weather is somewhat disappointing – cold and misty! A fingerpost tells us we have a 6 ¼ mile walk to [...]

8  Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Our adventure today commences with a train journey from Tunbridge Wells. Alighting at the Dorset market town of Wareham we immediately feel like we’re on holiday – we grab a hot handmade pasty from ‘The Salt Pig’ which we devour whilst watching the boats mooring alongside the quay in the sunshine. The number 40 bus takes us towards Swanage passed Corfe Castle, with the Swanage Railway steam train puffing along beside us. It’s a bit of a walk from the main road through the quaint village of Worth Matrevers to Seacombe Cliff where I left off a couple of [...]

5.5 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Having been kept awake for some of the night followed by the early morning dawn chorus I am pleased when dawn finally breaks at the Purbeck Hotel. Breakfast is served in the conservatory from where the view of the garden draws us out to admire the yew columns, amazing weeping willow tree and interesting artefacts. After grabbing provisions from the local co op we wander down to the seafront, passed the gardens where we reminisce the days of young children on a camping holiday maybe 20 years ago? We walk round the headland onto the grassy cliff top towards [...]

9 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Enjoy an extremely varied and delicious breakfast at the Haven hotel whilst admiring the most amazing view of Old Harry Rocks in the distance. The view comes and goes as large ferries drift pass the window and a morning sea mist washes over. We can hear the clanging of the chains of the Sandbanks to Studland chain ferry chugging its way over from one spit of land to another. The ferry port is a mere couple of steps away from the hotel lobby so we are soon paying the ferryman our £1 fare and snapping a photo of the [...]

7 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . After a relaxing train journey from Tunbridge Wells, all by myself, I meet my sister. From Bournemouth station we grab a taxi to Boscombe Pier and wander eastward to find where we left off a few weeks ago. It’s a scorching hot sunny day - hard to believe it is only mid February! My sunglasses are on with my hat and scarf surplus to requirements - for today at least.. We set off with the white cliffs of the needles and the red cliffs of Hengistbury Head behind us and the never ending promenade of Bournemouth ahead! The unseasonal [...]

5 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . We are up early, my new rucksack already packed, and soon heading off in our new convertible black MX5 to meet Jen and Dean in Highcliffe. It’s a two and a half hour journey but we see very little traffic.. Park up and enjoy the stunning views and amazing apple strudel in the Cliffhanger café. The view looking back across the sandy beach towards Barton on Sea reminds us of where we walked last summer – where has the last five months gone? Nigel and Dean deposit a car in Southbourne then we start our walk along the cliff [...]